The St. Joseph Notre Dame (SJND) women’s basketball team is off to a great start to the 2015-16 basketball season. The team is 4-0 on the year including three wins and the championship in the Roundball Classic.
The Pilots beat the El Cerrito Gauchos 50-41 in the opening round of the Roundball Classic on Thursday, Dec. 3. The Pilots got off to a great start in the contest holding a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, the Gauchos fought back outscoring the Pilots 14-10 in the second period to close the gap to 25-24 at halftime. 
The Pilots turned on the defense in the second half, locking down the Gauchos defensively in the third period. El Cerrito managed to score just four points in the quarter. SJND on the other hand posted 14 points in the quarter to salt the game away. El Cerrito did outscore SJND in the fourth quarter 13-11, but it was not enough. 
Junior point guard Mira Love-Sangco paced the Pilots with a game-high 22 points. She went eight-of-14 from the field and five-of-seven from the free throw line. Senior Ayesa Kearns led the Pilots with 12 rebounds and three blocks.
The Pilots blew through the semifinal and championship matches of the tournament. They beat St. Elizabeth of Oakland 56-18 on Friday, Dec. 4 and Urban of San Francisco 53-21 on Saturday, Dec. 5. 
Against the St. Elizabeth Mustangs, the Pilots took control of the game in the first quarter, holding the Mustangs scoreless in period. SJND led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, and outscored them 14-4 in the second. The Pilots continued its defensive prowess in the second half. Though the Mustangs scored 11 points in the third quarter, they managed just two points in the final quarter.
Love-Sangco also led the Pilots in scoring with 11 points on five-of-eight shooting. Kearns had eight rebounds and three blocks in the contest.
The Pilots also faced little resistance in the final against the Urban Blues. The Blues held on for the first quarter. The Pilots gave up 11 points in the first quarter. They still led 17-11 after the first quarter. But the Pilots’ defense stiffened the rest of the way. SJND did not allow the opposition to score in double figures in any other quarter. The Pilots outscored Urban 14-5 in the second, 10-3 in the third and 12-2 in the fourth quarter. Love-Sangco scored 15 points, Kearns scored 12 points and Kayla Nunn scored 10 points.
The Pilots next contest is today against Acalanes of Lafayette.